Ukraine intensifies drone strikes on Russian infrastructure as fuel crisis forces Moscow to seek imports

Ukraine has intensified its long-range drone campaign deep inside Russian territory, targeting critical energy infrastructure and military sites like the Dubna Satellite Communications Centre. The sustained strikes have knocked out significant refining capacity, prompting President Vladimir Putin to acknowledge domestic fuel shortages. In response, Moscow has banned fuel exports, implemented strict rationing across dozens of regions, and taken the rare step of negotiating fuel imports from foreign suppliers to stabilize its volatile domestic market.

Ukrainian drone strikes on refineries

• ▪Ukrainian drone strikes targeted two Russian oil refineries over the weekend of June 27-28, 2026, including a facility in Slavyansk-na-Kubani and another in the Yaroslavl region
• ▪A drone strike on an oil refinery in Slavyansk-na-Kubani in Russia's Krasnodar region killed one person and injured another in a nearby village

Russian fuel shortages

• ▪The Russian government has banned exports of gasoline and jet fuel to protect domestic needs amid the ongoing fuel crisis
• ▪The governor of Siberia's Irkutsk region, Igor Kobzev, announced a daily fuel purchase limit of 50 liters per vehicle at state-run Rosneft stations
• ▪Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged a fuel shortage in Russia resulting from Ukrainian retaliatory strikes on energy infrastructure, though he characterized the shortage as not critical

Kremlin fuel import negotiations

• ▪Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that Russia is negotiating to import oil products from other countries to stabilize its domestic market
• ▪Russian officials are considering allowing energy companies to temporarily produce and import lower-quality gasoline and diesel

Public frustration at gas stations

• ▪Frustrated drivers in Russia have engaged in panic-buying and physical altercations at gas stations due to fuel restrictions and long lines
• ▪Multiple Russian regions have implemented fuel purchase limits, and a state of emergency has been declared in Russian-occupied Crimea due to gasoline shortages

Russian economic deterioration

• ▪Economic analyst Maksim Blant stated that the fuel crisis is occurring alongside an unprecedented Russian budget deficit and may prevent the central bank from cutting interest rates below 14.25 percent
• ▪A Gallup poll conducted between March 14 and May 6, 2026, indicated that 60 percent of surveyed Russians believe local economic conditions are worsening

Energy infrastructure targeting

• ▪Ukraine launched a major drone attack on Moscow on June 30, 2026, hitting the Dubna Satellite Communications Centre, which is used for intelligence gathering and military coordination
• ▪A six-month-old baby died and three adults and two children were injured when a Ukrainian drone crashed into a home in Yegoryevsk, southeast of Moscow
• ▪The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed to have intercepted or destroyed 419 Ukrainian drones across 18 regions during the overnight assault on June 30, 2026